CI Gear Tech Blog: VoIP, UC, Response Point, Asterisk, 3CX

I’m writing this in part with selfish motives since we get asked this question several times per week both by users of Aastra’s SIP standard IP Phones as well as by users of Aastra Response Point IP Phones. Hopefully, this information will make it easier for users to find a headset to work with their Aastra IP Phones.

The source of this list is Aastra Telecom Inc. The general headset requirement for Aastra IP Phones is that they require non-amplified headsets with an RJ22 connector. Aastra has been kind enough to test some popular models and provide us with a list to make life easier. The list starts with a disclaimer so here it goes:

USING THIRD-PARTY HEADSETS WITH AASTRA IP PHONES

While Aastra does perform basic functional testing of the third-party headsets listed below, it is ultimately
the customer’s responsibility to test these devices in their own environment to determine suitable
performance.

Due to the many inherent environmental and hardware inconsistencies in the locations where these
phones can be used, there is not a single “best” headset that is optimal for all environments.

Before customers begin deploying any headsets, Aastra recommends thorough testing at the customer
site to check for acceptable voice quality in the specific deployment environment.

Recommended headsets for use with Aastra IP Phones

GN Netcom GN2110ST (P/N:01-0241)
GN Netcom GN2120NC (P/N: 01-0243)
GN Netcom GN 2127 NC (P/N: 01-0331)
GN Netcom GN9120 (P/N: 9120-28-05)
GN Netcom GN2120NC (P/N: 01-0243)
GN Netcom GN9350  (P/N: 9326-607-105)
Wired headsets require a Modular to GN Netcom quick disconnect cable (P/N: 1003945). Please
check the manufacturer website for detailed information.

Plantronics H251N (P/N: 27190-01)
Plantronics HW251 (P/N: 73838-01)
Plantronics P251-U10P (P/N: 64392-01)
Plantronics CS70N (P/N: 70450-06 )
Plantronics 510SL (P/N: 72273-01)
Wired headsets require a Modular to Plantronics quick disconnect A10 cable (P/N 66268-01).
Please check the manufacturer website for a full cable compatibility list.

Sennheiser SH330 (P/N: 5354)
Requires a Sennheiser quick disconnect CSTD01 Cable (P/N:5362)

Notes:

Netcom GN2120NC:
• Users must use switch positions 1 or 7 for this headset.  Using position 7 will increase the
microphone sensitivity by 6dB (louder to the far end person).

Plantronics H251N:
• Recommend users set the IP Phone headset microphone gain to “High” via the Options menu.
• This headset has a high receiving volume and requires users to use lower volume settings on
their IP Phone.

Plantronics HW251:
• Recommend users set the IP Phone headset microphone gain to “High” via the Options menu.
• This headset has a high receiving volume and requires users to use lower volume settings on
their IP Phone.

Plantronics P251N-U10P
• This headset has a high receiving volume and requires users to use lower volume settings on
their IP Phone.

Plantronics CS70N:
• Recommend users switch the base to setting B or C with the IP phone headset microphone gain
set to “High” or “Low” respectively.
• Users should also set the switch at base back to position 4 and adjusting the headset volume as
desired.

Plantronics 510/SL:
• Recommend users switch the base to setting B or C with the IP phone headset microphone gain
set to “High” or “Low” respectively.
• Users should also set the switch at base back to position 4 and adjusting the headset volume as
desired.

If you are looking for where to buy, most of these models are available on our online store. Here’s a link:

http://www.cigear.com/accessories-headsets-c-173_102.html

Tags: Aastra, Bluetooth, DECT, GN, Headsets, IP Phone, Jabra, Netcom, Plantronics, Response Point, Sennheiser, VoIP, Wired, Wireless

For decades, a handful of giant manufacturers have maintained a virtual monopoly in the SMB phone systems market. This has resulted in expensive, proprietary technology that was difficult to manage and costly to maintain. By some estimates, only a third of small businesses have implemented phone systems for these reasons. This leaves the majority of this segment underserved!

Introducing the software pbx or phone system. A software phone system is an application designed to perform all the features of a purpose built pbx but built to run on standard computer hardware. Since software phone systems can be installed on commonly available computers, much of the cost associated with proprietary phone system hardware has been eliminated, which means software phone systems save you money!

Most phone system solutions available today are based on Voice over IP (VoIP). This does not mean that these systems will not connect with traditional phone services. In fact, the majority of phone systems available today support both traditional phone lines as well as VoIP.

Here are the 4 key ingredients required to build your own phone system.

1- Computer Hardware

2- Phone System Software

3- Phones

4- Gateways

Computer Hardware

Selecting suitable computer hardware is an important factor since your new phone system will depend on a reliable platform to run on. If your phone system project is for play, any reasonably equipped computer will do. If your phone system implementation is intended for business use, it would be wise to check with your software provider for recommended hardware products. For mission critical enterprise applications, a hardened server is highly recommended.

Software

Selection of software depends as much on personal preference as it does on features and capability. Some users are more comfortable working in a Windows environment while others are comfortable with Linux or Mac OS X. There are software based phone system solutions available for just about any platform. Most of these solutions are easy enough to install and manage and offer a plethora of features and functionality.
Since the defacto industry standard for voice communication these days is Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), software selected should support SIP.
Without delving into a detailed feature listing (We’ll save that for another article!), here are some of the more popular features that most people look for in a new phone system:

1-    Call Handling (Hold, Transfer, Conference, Forward, Park, Auto Attendant, Digital Receptionist, IVR, etc.)

2-    Unified Communication and Mobility (User Portal, Voicemail to Email, Unified Messaging, Single Number, Remote Access, Soft Phone, etc.)

3-    3rd Party Application Integration (Outlook, Salesforce / Web-based CRM, Exchange, Fax, etc.)

4-    Management (Web based Configuration, Backup/Restore, Call Logging/Reporting, etc.)

5-    SIP Trunk (VoIP) support to connect to one or more ITSPs (Internet Telephony Service Provider)

Windows based phone systems: 3CX, pbxnsip

Linux based phone systems: Asterisk, Elastix, Trixbox

Mac OS X based phone systems: pbxnsip

Phones

The phone is the interface between your end users and the system so factors such as ease of use, end user features, aesthetic appeal, call quality, ease of support should be considered when choosing phones. There are 3 major categories of end user devices that will work with your new system:
1-    Hardware IP Phone (Desk Phone, Wireless Phone, Conference Phone, etc.)
2-    Software IP Phone (PC/Mac Software Client, Smart Phone Mobile Client)
3-    Traditional Analog Phone via ATA (Analog Terminal Adapter)

There is no shortage of options when it comes to phone selection. Check with the software provider, your vendor and user forums for recommended models before deciding on what phones to order.

Gateway

A gateway is a device used to connect your VoIP based phone system to the public telephone network. Without a gateway, most SMB phone systems are still able to connect to the outside world using a SIP (VoIP) trunk. The SIP trunk connects your phone system to an ITSP (Internet Telephony Service Provider) who then relays your calls to and from the public telephone network. However, using only VoIP means that you are entirely dependant on your Internet connection to for phone access to the outside world.
The gateway enables you to connect analog POTS lines (Plain Old Telephone Service) or digital ISDN BRI and PRI (T1/E1) lines directly to your phone system. You can continue to take advantage of VoIP but also keep some direct connectivity to the public telephone network for reliability and failover.

Here are some of the options available when it comes to gateways.
1-    PCI Telephony Cards
2-    External Ethernet Gateways
3-    External USB Gateways

PCI Telephony Cards: There are PCI and PCIe based telephony cards available for a variety of platforms that will enable you to create your own gateway for your phone system. If you are comfortable installing hardware in your computer, this may be the simplest and most cost effective solution for you. If you’re not sure about getting under the hood of your system, this might not be the best solution for you.

External Ethernet Gateways: There are many external Ethernet based gateway devices on the market that will enable you to connect with a variety of telephony interfaces. These gateways are network devices that connect with all your phone lines and communicate with your phone system over Ethernet.

External USB Gateways: Some platforms support external USB based gateway devices that will enable you to connect with a variety of telephony interfaces. USB gateways are like peripherals that interface with your phone system on a USB port. These gateways also support a variety telephony interfaces for your phone lines and analog devices.

If you have a question or are just looking for help with planning your ideal software based phone system, feel free to comment on this post or call me at 1-866-924-4292.

Tags: 3CX, Asterisk, BRI, Elastix, FXO, FXS, Gateway, how to build, IP Phone, isdn, PBX, pbxnsip, PCI, PCIe, Phone System, PRI, SIP, software pbx, software phone system, T1, Trixbox, USB, VoIP

You can see this message in either one of the following cases:

1.    You have recently upgraded your Response Point system to Service Pack 1 (SP1)
2.    You are trying to configure a new phone with the system

In either case you need to upgrade the phone firmware. You can do it from the Administrator application, or you can do it manually.

In the RP Administrator, click “Upgrade Device Firmware”. Click on Browse and select the latest firmware file “ResponsePointUpgrade.RPU” which is included in the Syspine Upgrade (patch .zip file). Once loaded, click Next, and Next again. All the devices on the network will start the upgrade process. Depending on the number of phones, this can take several minutes for each phone. It is recommended that you do the upgrade in off times so that there are no calls coming in or out.

In case you have any problem upgrading the Syspine Response Point system, you can contact support @ cigear.com or call our office number and say technical support.

Tags: 310, firmware, IP Phone, Response Point, Syspine